virus: Cults and religions

David McFadzean (morpheus@lucifer.com)
Mon, 31 Mar 1997 23:25:09 -0700


This checklist was on the front page of my newspaper this morning
in an article about Heaven's Gate.

Differences between a cult and a religion
(attributed to the Cult Information Service Inc.)

Cult
- Deceit in recruitment
- Totalitarian society
- Destroys family unit
- Isolates membership
- Keeps non-believers out
- Intimidates critics

Religion
- No deceit in recruitment
- Allows freedom of thought
- Promotes the family unit
- Does not isolate members
- Encourages participation
- Welcomes criticism

I thought the Church of Virus was a cult, but it turns out
it is one of a very few religions in the world.

--
David McFadzean                 david@lucifer.com
Memetic Engineer                http://www.lucifer.com/~david/
Church of Virus                 http://www.lucifer.com/virus/